Method, system and apparatus for enhancing security of beacon device

ABSTRACT

A method, system and apparatus for enhancing the security of a beacon device are herein disclosed. A service device includes a service communication unit and a service control unit. The service communication unit communicates with at least one terminal and a beacon device, and transmits and receives data required to enhance the security of the beacon device. The service control unit performs control so as to receive pieces of identification information from the terminal and the beacon device, to check the received pieces of identification information and then perform validation based on the times at which the pieces of identification information have been generated and whether authentication keys match each other, to extract service information in response to the result of the validation, and to transmit the extracted service information to the terminal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2014-0063519, filed May 27, 2014, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to a method, system andapparatus for enhancing the security of a beacon device, and moreparticularly, to a method, system and apparatus for enhancing thesecurity of a beacon device, which are capable of dynamically changingidentification information generated by a beacon device, therebyallowing service to be used only in an application of an authenticatedterminal.

2. Description of the Related Art

With the development of mobile communication networks and theadvancement of terminal specifications, mobile communication terminalshave become the necessities of people today and are evolving into totalentertainment devices, beyond the scope of conventional simplecommunication devices or information provision devices.

Such mobile communication terminals have not only the function ofperforming communication over a mobile communication network but alsothe function of performing short-range wireless communication, such asNear Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth communication, etc.

However, NFC has a short communication distance, and requires a separatewireless chip for communication. In contrast, Bluetooth communicationhas a relatively long communication distance, and most terminals havethe function of performing Bluetooth communication. Accordingly, variouscommunication services using the function of performing Bluetoothcommunication have been being developed.

Furthermore, a service scheme for providing various types of informationto the mobile communication terminal of a user by means of a beacon viaBluetooth communication is being developed. In this case, the mobilecommunication terminal is used to receive corresponding beaconidentification from the beacon and then obtain various types ofinformation from this beacon identification.

However, a problem arises in that identification information transmittedby a beacon device uses a fixed value determined based on a rule, andtherefore the unauthorized use of service using the beacon device by anunauthorized terminal may be possible when a specific application isexecuted after the unauthorized terminal has received a signal from thebeacon device.

SUMMARY

In order to overcome the problem in which identification informationtransmitted by a beacon device uses a fixed value determined based on arule and therefore the unauthorized use of service using the beacondevice by an unauthorized terminal may be possible when a specificapplication is executed after the unauthorized terminal has received asignal from the beacon device, at least one embodiment of the presentinvention is intended to provide a method, system and apparatus forenhancing the security of a beacon device, which are capable ofdynamically changing identification information generated by the beacondevice, thereby allowing the service to be used only in an applicationof an authenticated terminal.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provideda service device, including a service communication unit configured tocommunicate with at least one terminal and a beacon device, and totransmit and receive data required to enhance the security of the beacondevice; and a service control unit configured to perform control so asto receive pieces of identification information from the terminal andthe beacon device, to check the received pieces of identificationinformation and then perform validation based on the times at which thepieces of identification information have been generated and whetherauthentication keys match each other, to extract service information inresponse to the result of the validation, and to transmit the extractedservice information to the terminal.

The service device may further include a service storage unit configuredto store the identification information received from the beacon deviceand service information corresponding to the identification information.

In the service device, the service information may include at least oneof current location information, coupon information, discountinformation, and event information related to a corresponding store.

In the service device, the service control unit may be configured todetermine whether the identification information received from thebeacon device matches the identification information received from theterminal and perform the validation by taking into account the result ofthe determination.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a beacon device, including a communication module configured totransmit a beacon signal to at least one terminal via Bluetooth LowEnergy (BLE), and to communicate with a service device and transmit andreceive data required to enhance the security of a beacon device; and acontrol module configured to perform control so as to check anauthentication key and current time information to enhance the security,to generate identification information using the authentication key andthe current time information, and to transmit the generatedidentification information to the terminal in response to a requestsignal received from the terminal.

In the beacon device, the control module may be further configured toperform an operation on the authentication key and the time information,thereby generating the identification information at predetermined timeintervals.

In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, thereis provided a system for enhancing the security of a beacon device,including a beacon device configured to check an authentication key andcurrent time information in order to enhance the security of the beacondevice, to generate identification information using the authenticationkey and the current time information, and to transmit the generatedidentification information to at least one terminal and a service devicein response to a request signal received from the terminal; the terminalconfigured to receive the identification information from the beacondevice, to transmit the received identification information to theservice device, to receive service information related to theidentification information from the service device by taking intoaccount the result of the validation of the identification information,and to provide the received service information; and the service deviceconfigured to receive pieces of identification information from theterminal and the beacon device, to check the received pieces ofidentification information and perform the validation of the pieces ofidentification information based on the times at which the pieces ofidentification information have been generated and whether theauthentication keys match each other, to extract service information inresponse to the result of the validation, and to transmit the extractedservice information to the terminal.

In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, thereis provided a method of enhancing the security of a beacon device,including checking, by a beacon device, an authentication key andcurrent time information; generating, by the beacon device,identification information using the authentication key and the currenttime information; and transmitting, by the beacon device, the generatedidentification information to at least one terminal and a service devicein response to a request signal received from the terminal.

The method of enhancing the security of a beacon device may furtherinclude transmitting, by the beacon device, the identificationinformation generated using the authentication key and the current timeinformation to the service device after generating the identificationinformation.

In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, thereis provided a method of enhancing the security of a beacon device,including receiving, by a service device, identification informationfrom at least one terminal; checking, by the service device, thereceived identification information, and performing, by the servicedevice, the validation of the identification information based on thetimes at which pieces of identification information have been generatedand whether the authentication keys match each other; extracting, by theservice device, at least one piece of service information in response tothe result of the validation; and transmitting, by the service device,the extracted service information to the terminal.

The method of enhancing the security of a beacon device may furtherinclude, before receiving the identification information, receiving, bythe service device, identification information from the beacon device;and storing, by the service device, the received identificationinformation.

In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, thereis provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereincomputer-readable program instructions that, when executed by acomputer, cause the computer to check an authentication key and currenttime information, to generate identification information using theauthentication key and the current time information, and to transmit thegenerated identification information to at least one terminal and aservice device in response to a request signal received from theterminal.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereincomputer-readable program instructions that, when executed by acomputer, cause the computer to receive identification information fromat least one terminal; to check the received identification information,and perform validation based on the times at which pieces ofidentification information have been generated and whetherauthentication keys match each other; to extract at least one piece ofservice information in response to the result of the validation; and totransmit the extracted service information to the terminal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more clearly understood from the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a system forenhancing the security of a beacon device according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a terminalaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the platform of theterminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a beacondevice according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a servicedevice according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the flow of data that is used toenhance the security of the beacon device according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating the beacondevice according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating the terminalaccording to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating the servicedevice according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail belowwith reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed descriptions ofwell-known functions and configurations that would make the gist of thepresent invention obscure will be omitted. Furthermore, it should benoted that the same elements will be designated by the same referencenumerals throughout the accompanying drawings as much as possible.

The terms and words that are used in the present specification and theclaims to be described below should not be interpreted as having commonand dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted as having meaningsand concepts in accordance with the technical spirit of the presentinvention based on the principle in which an inventor can appropriatelydefine the concepts of terms in order to describe his or her inventionin the most appropriate way. Accordingly, since the embodimentsdescribed herein and the configurations illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings correspond merely to embodiments of the present invention anddo not represent the overall technical spirit of the present invention,it should be appreciated that various equivalents and modifications thatmay replace the configurations at the time when the present applicationis filed.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail belowwith reference to the accompanying drawings. The following detaileddescription given below along with the accompanying drawings is intendedto describe exemplary embodiments of the present invention, but is notintended to represent the only embodiments in which the presentinvention can be implemented. The following detailed descriptionincludes any specific details to provide the better understanding of thepresent invention. However, it will be apparent to those having ordinaryknowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertainsthat the present invention may be practiced without those specificdetails.

In some cases, well-known structures and components may be omitted orillustrated in the form of blocks of block diagrams with a focus on thecore functions of the structures and the components in order to avoidmaking the concept of the present invention obvious.

Throughout the specification, when any part is described as “comprising”or “including” any component, this means that the part does not excludeany other component but includes any other component unless describedotherwise. The terms “part,” “device” and “module” described in thespecification means a unit for processing at least one function oroperation, and may be implemented as hardware, software, or combinationsof the hardware and the software. Furthermore, “a” or “an,” “one,”“the,” and similar related terms may be used to mean including singularand plural expressions in the context of the description of the presentinvention (particularly, in the context of the following claims) unlessindicated otherwise or clearly contradicted by the context.

In addition to the above-described terms, the specific terms used in thefollowing description have been provided to aid in the understanding ofthe present invention. These specific terms may be replaced with otherterms without departing from the scope of the technical spirit of thepresent invention.

Although terminals according to embodiments of the present inventionwill be described below by using a mobile communication terminal capableof connecting to a communication network and providing the service ofchecking the state of a beacon device as a representative example, theterminals are not limited to the mobile communication terminal, but maybe various terminals, such as all information communication devices, amultimedia terminal, a wired terminal, a fixed terminal and an InternetProtocol (IP) terminal. Furthermore, when the terminal is a mobileterminal having various mobile communication specifications, such as amobile phone, a Portable Multimedia Player (PMP), a Mobile InternetDevice (MID), a smartphone, a desktop, a tablet PC, a notebook, anetbook or an information communication device, the terminal may beutilized advantageously.

Furthermore, beacon technology applied to the mobile communicationterminals according to the embodiments of the present invention is datacommunication technology using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The beacontechnology includes a Bluetooth function that acts as a precise GPS.Although NFC can be used within a limited distance of 10 cm, beacontechnology can be used to perform measurement within a range from 5 to49 cm, and thus the range of applications of the beacon technology issignificantly broad. The beacon technology does not require that asmartphone is brought into contact with a reader and then tags thereader, unlike NFC, data can be transferred even when the smartphonepasses by a place where a beacon has been installed, and a detailedmovement of a location can be read within a building and then customizeddata can be transferred.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a system 100 forenhancing the security of a beacon device according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the system 100 for enhancing the security of abeacon device according to this embodiment of the present inventionincludes a terminal 10, a beacon device 20, a service device 30, and acommunication network 40.

At least one processor mounted on the terminal 10, the beacon device 20and/or the service device 30 according to this embodiment of the presentinvention may process program instructions for executing a methodaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. In animplementation, the processor may be a single-threaded processor. Inanother implementation, the processor may be a multi-threaded processor.Furthermore, the processor may process instructions stored in memory orstorage.

The communication network 40 performs a series of data transmission andreception operations in order to perform data transmission andinformation exchange among the terminal 10, the beacon device 20 and theservice device 30. In particular, the communication network 40 mayinclude various types of communication networks, for example: wirelesscommunication networks, such as a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), aWi-Fi network, a Wireless Broadband (WiBro) network, a Worldinteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network and a High-SpeedDownlink Packet Access (HSDPA) network; and wired communicationnetworks, such as an Ethernet network, x Digital Subscriber Lines (xDSL)(an Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) and a Very-high-bit-rateDigital Subscriber Line (VDSL)) network, a Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC)network, a Fiber-To-The-Curb (FTTC) network and a Fiber-To-The-Home(FTTH) network. Meanwhile, the communication network 40 is not limitedto the above-described communication networks, but may include othertypes of communication networks that have been currently well known orwill be developed in the future, in addition to the above-describedcommunication networks.

The terminal 10 communicates with the beacon device 20 and the servicedevice 30 over the communication network 40, and transmits and receivesdata for enhancing the security of the beacon device 20. In particular,the terminal 10 according to this embodiment of the present inventionreceives identification information from the beacon device 20.Furthermore, the terminal 10 transmits the received identificationinformation to the service device 30. In this case, the identificationinformation may be information generated through the combination of anauthentication key and time information. The authentication key maycorrespond to key information that has been set differently for eachbeacon device. The time information may be generated at predeterminedregular time intervals.

The terminal 10 receives service information related to theidentification information from the service device 30 by taking intoaccount the result of the validation of the identification information.Thereafter, the terminal 10 provides the service information receivedfrom the service device 30. In this case, the service informationincludes at least one of current location information, couponinformation, discount information, and event information related to acorresponding store.

Furthermore, the terminal 10 receives a beacon signal from the beacondevice 20, analyzes the beacon signal, and then extracts beaconidentification information. Thereafter, the terminal 10 transmits theextracted beacon identification information to the service device 30. Inthis case, the terminal 10 may have stored user information. This userinformation includes at least one of the user name and terminalidentification information of the terminal 10. For example, the terminalidentification information may include at least one of an InternationalMobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI), an Electronic Serial Number(ESN) and a Mobile Identification Number (MDN),

The beacon device 20 functions to emit a beacon signal via wirelesscommunication in order to enable the terminal 10 to measure a location.More specifically, the beacon device 20 may emit a beacon signal usingshort-range wireless communication. In an embodiment, the beacon device20 may emit a beacon signal using BLE. However, the beacon device 20 isnot limited thereto, and may emit a beacon signal using Radio-FrequencyIdentification (RFID), ZigBee, or Near Field Communication (NFC).

The beacon signal emitted by the beacon device 20 includes beaconidentification information for the identification of the beacon device20. The beacon identification information included in the beacon signalmay include at least one of the Universally Unique IDentifier (UUID) ofthe beacon device 20, a major adapted to be indicative of a group ofbeacon devices, and a minor used to identify a specific beacon device inthe group of beacon devices.

In particular, the beacon device 20 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention communicates with the terminal 10 and the servicedevice 30 over the communication network 40, and transmits and receivesdata for enhancing the security of the beacon device 20. In this case,the beacon device 20 checks an authentication key and current timeinformation in order to enhance the security of the beacon device 20.Thereafter, the beacon device 20 generates identification informationthrough the combination of the authentication key and the current timeinformation. In this case, the beacon device 20 performs an operation onthe authentication key and the time information, thereby generatingidentification information at a predetermined time intervals.

The beacon device 20 transmits the identification information to theterminal 10 and the service device 30 in response to a request signalreceived from the terminal 10.

The service device 30 communicates with the terminal 10 and the beacondevice 20 over the communication network 40, and transmits and receivesdata applied to the enhancement of the security of the beacon device 20.In particular, the service device 30 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention receives the identification information from thebeacon device 20.

The service device 30 receives the identification information from theterminal 10, and performs the validation of the identificationinformation received from the terminal 10 and the identificationinformation received from the beacon device 20. In this case, theservice device 30 determines whether the identification informationreceived from the beacon device 20 matches the identificationinformation received from the terminal 10, and performs the validationby taking into account the result of the determination. That is, theservice device 30 may check the received identification information, andmay perform the validation based on the time at which the identificationinformation has been generated and whether authentication keys matcheach other.

The service device 30 extracts service information by taking intoaccount the result of the validation. In this case, the serviceinformation includes at least one of current location information,coupon information, discount information, and event information relatedto a corresponding store. Thereafter, the service device 30 transmitsthe extracted service information to the terminal 10.

Accordingly, in accordance with this embodiment of the presentinvention, service can be used only in an application of anauthenticated terminal through the dynamic assignment of identificationinformation to a beacon device, thereby preventing the unauthorized useof the beacon device. Furthermore, the checking of the identificationinformation of the beacon device is performed using a BLE beacon signal,and thus resources required for the checking of the identificationinformation can be reduced on behalf of the terminal and also logicrequired for the extraction of information applied to the service can besimplified on behalf of the service device.

A process of enhancing the security of the beacon device according to anembodiment of the present invention is described in detail withreference to FIGS. 2 to 9.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a terminal10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the terminal 10 according to this embodiment of thepresent invention includes a control unit 11, an input unit 12, adisplay unit 13, a storage unit 14, an audio processing unit 15, acommunication unit 16, and a location information provision unit 17. Inthis case, the control unit 11 includes a service information provisionmodule 11 a.

The input unit 12 receives various types of information, such as numberinformation and character information, and transfers input signalsrelated to the setting of various types of functions and the control ofthe functions of the terminal 10 to the control unit 11. Furthermore,the input unit 12 may include at least one of a keypad and a touchpadfor generating input signals in response to touches or manual operationsof a user. In this case, the input unit 12 may be configured to form asingle touch panel or touch screen along with the display unit 13, andthus may perform input and display functions at the same time.Furthermore, all types of input means that will be developed in thefuture, together with input devices, such as a keyboard, a keypad, amouse and a joy stick, may be used as the input unit 12. In particular,the input unit 12 according to this embodiment of the present inventiondetects an input signal for user authentication, an input signal forconnection to the beacon device 20, and an input signal for the input ofinformation that enhances the security of the beacon device 20 from anuser, and then transfers the detected input signals to the control unit11.

The display unit 13 displays a series of pieces of information aboutoperation states, operation results, etc. that are generated during theperformance of the functions of the terminal 10. Furthermore, thedisplay unit 13 may display the menu of the terminal 10, user data inputby a user, etc. In this case, the display unit 13 may include a LiquidCrystal Display (LCD), a Thin-Film-Transistor Liquid Crystal Display(TFT-LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED), an Organic Light-Emitting Diode(OLED), an Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode (AMOLED), a retinadisplay, a flexible display, a three-dimensional (3D) display, etc. Inthis case, when the display unit 13 is configured in the form of a touchscreen, the display unit 13 may perform some or all of the functions ofthe input unit 12. In particular, the display unit 13 according to thisembodiment of the present invention outputs a screen for userauthentication, a screen for the provision of service information, etc.

The storage unit 14 is a device for storing data. The storage unit 14includes a main memory unit and an auxiliary memory unit, and storesapplication programs required to operate the functions of the terminal10. This storage unit 14 may basically include a program area and a dataarea. In this case, when the terminal 10 activates respective functionsin response to requests from a user, the terminal 10 executescorresponding application programs under the control of the control unit11, and then provides the functions. In particular, the storage unit 14according to this embodiment of the present invention stores an OS forthe booting of the terminal 10, a program for user authentication, aprogram for the checking of the beacon device 20, a program for thechecking of service information, etc. Furthermore, the storage unit 14stores user information, identification information, serviceinformation, information about a beacon state, etc. In this case, theidentification information includes at least one of a UUID, beacon groupinformation, and identification information or a member ID in a beacongroup. Meanwhile, the user information includes at least one of a username and terminal identification information, and the information abouta beacon state includes one or more of the normal operation information,communication state information, operating system (OS) information,upgrade information and power information of the beacon device 20. Theservice information includes at least one of current locationinformation, coupon information, discount information, and eventinformation related to a corresponding store.

The audio processing unit 15 functions to transfer an audio signal,input from a speaker (SPK) or a microphone (MIC) for playing andoutputting an audio signal, to the control unit 11. This audioprocessing unit 15 may convert an analog-type audio signal, input viathe microphone, into a digital-type signal, and then may transfer thedigital-type signal to the control unit 11. Furthermore, the audioprocessing unit 15 may convert a digital-type audio signal, output fromthe control unit 11, into an analog-type signal, and then may output theanalog-type signal via the speaker. In particular, the audio processingunit 15 according to this embodiment of the present invention outputs aneffect sound or a running sound that is generated in the process ofproviding information for enhancing the security of the beacon device20.

The communication unit 16 functions to transmit and receive data forenhancing the security of the beacon device 20 over the communicationnetwork 40. In this case, the communication unit 16 includes a RadioFrequency (RF) transmission means for up-converting the frequency of asignal to be transmitted and also amplifying the signal, and an RFreception means for performing low-noise amplification on a signal to bereceived and also down-converting the frequency of the signal. Thiscommunication unit 16 may include at least one of a wirelesscommunication module (not illustrated) and a wired communication module(not illustrated). Furthermore, the wireless communication module isconfigured to transmit and receive data in accordance with a wirelesscommunication method. The wireless communication module may transmit andreceive data to and from the service device 30 using any one of awireless network communication module, a wireless LAN communicationmodule and a wireless Personal Area Network (PAN) communication modulewhen the terminal 10 uses wireless communication. Furthermore, the wiredcommunication module is configured to transmit and receive data over awired connection. The wired communication module may be connected to thecommunication network 40 over a wired connection, and then may transmitand receive data to and from the service device 30. In particular, thecommunication unit 16 according to this embodiment of the presentinvention communicates with the beacon device 20 and the service device30, and then transmits and receives data. In this case, thecommunication unit 16 receives a beacon signal using BLE.

Under the control of the control unit 11, the location informationprovision unit 17 receives Global Positioning System (GPS) signals fromone or more GPS satellites, determines current location information,such as the latitude and longitude of the terminal 10, and thentransmits the location information to the control unit 11. Since anerror may occur in the case of using only signals received from the GPSsatellites, the location information provision unit 17 may use roundtrip delay information, pilot phase file information, etc. transmittedfrom a base station, together with the GPS signals, in order to acquireaccurate location information. In this case, the base station performstwo roles. One role is to relay the transmission of data between acommunication center and the terminal 10, and the other role is totransmit data used to determine the location of the terminal 10, thatis, the location of the user. Accordingly, the location informationprovision unit 17 may determine the location of the correspondingterminal 10 through the reception of the above-described locationinformation, or may determine the current location information of theterminal 10 through the use of trigonometry in which locationinformation is received from three or more base stations and then theprecise location of the terminal 10 is determined, or the like.

The location information provision unit 17 may measure the locationinformation of the terminal 10 using a BLE method and an NFC tag method.That is, the location information provision unit 17 may determine thelocation of a user indoors using an Indoor Positioning System (IPS), andmay determine minute changes in the location of the user in a buildingusing the IPS. Since this IPS is easily applied to most offline storesand real life, the range of application thereof is very broad. Inparticular, the location of the user may be determined within a rangefrom 5 to 49 cm using a data communication technology utilizing BLE thatbelongs to IPS service. Furthermore, the location information provisionunit 17 may check location information using an NFC method. The NFCmethod is one type of wireless tag RFID technology, and is a contactlesscommunication method using a frequency band of 13.56 MHz. Since the NFCmethod has a short communication distance, it is a short-rangecommunication method having relatively excellent security.

The control unit 11 may be an OS and a process device configured todrive individual components. In particular, the control unit 11according to this embodiment of the present invention receivesidentification information from the beacon device 20. Furthermore, thecontrol unit 11 transfers the received identification information to theservice device 30.

Thereafter, the control unit 11 receives service information related tothe identification information from the service device 30 by taking intoaccount the result of the validation of the identification information.Thereafter, the control unit 11 provides service information receivedfrom the service device 30. In this case, the service informationincludes at least one of current location information, couponinformation, discount information, and event information related to acorresponding store.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the platform of aterminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the structure of the platform of the terminal 10may include hardware 120, an OS 110, and an application 130.

The hardware 120 refers to a physical environment that includes acentral processing device (CPU), a short-range wireless communicationchip configured to receive a beacon signal, and a communication chipconfigured to connect to the communication network 40, which constitutethe terminal 10.

The OS 110 controls the hardware 120, and is responsible for the overalloperation of the terminal 10. The OS 110 may be generally installed bythe manufacturer of the terminal 10 or a mobile communication serviceprovider. Furthermore, the OS 110 provides an Application ProgrammingInterface (API) that can control the hardware 120 in order to supportthe application 130.

The application 130 may include one or more programs operating on the OS110, and may include a service information provision program. Morespecifically, the application 130 may control the hardware 120 using theinterface API provided by the OS 110. The service information provisionprogram included in the application 130 performs the same operation asthe control unit 11 of the terminal 10 described above with reference toFIGS. 1 to 2. Furthermore, the service information provision programincluded in the application 130 may receive service information from theservice device 30 using the interface API provided by the OS 110, andmay output the received service information.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a beacondevice 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the beacon device 20 according to this embodimentof the present invention includes a control module 21 and acommunication module 22.

The communication module 22 communicates with the terminal 10 and theservice device 30, and transmits and receives data required to enhancethe security of the beacon device 20. In this case, the communicationmodule 22 is equipped with a Wi-Fi module, and thus may communicate withthe terminal 10.

The control module 21 may be the OS of the beacon device 20 and aprocess device configured to drive individual components. In particular,the control module 21 according to this embodiment of the presentinvention checks an authentication key and current time information inorder to enhance security. Furthermore, the control module 21 generatesidentification information using the authentication key and the currenttime information. Furthermore, the control module 21 performs anoperation on the authentication key and the time information, and thengenerates the identification information at predetermined timeintervals. In this case, the identification information may beinformation generated through the combination of the authentication keyand the time information. The authentication key may correspond to keyinformation that has been set differently for each beacon device. Thetime information may be generated at predetermined regular timeintervals. For example, the identification information may include aOne-Time Password (OTP). A user authentication method using a one-timepassword of random numbers that are randomly generated is applied to theidentification information. That is, the control module 21 generates aone-time password. The control module 21 may automatically generate adifferent password of a specific number of digits at predetermined timeintervals.

The control module 21 transmits identification information, generated inresponse to a request signal received from the terminal 10, to theterminal 10 and the service device 30. In this case, the control module21 transmits the identification information to the terminal 10 viashort-range wireless communication.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a servicedevice 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the service device 30 according to this embodimentof the present invention may include a service control unit 31, aservice storage unit 32, and a service communication unit 33. In thiscase, the service control unit 31 includes a validation module 31 a. Theservice storage unit 32 includes identification information 32 a andservice information 32 b.

The service communication unit 33 communicates with the terminal 10 andthe beacon device 20 over the communication network 40, and transmitsand receives data applied to the enhancement of the security of thebeacon device 20.

The service storage unit 32 stores all programs and data related to theexecution of the function of the service device 30. In this case, theservice storage unit 32 stores the identification information and theservice information. In this ease, the identification information isinformation generated through the combination of current time and anauthentication key. The service information includes at least one ofcurrent location information, coupon information, discount information,and event information related to a corresponding store.

The service control unit 31 may be an OS and a process device configuredto drive individual components. In particular, the service control unit31 according to this embodiment of the present invention receivesidentification information from the beacon device 20. In this case, theservice control unit 31 may communicate with the beacon device 20 overthe communication network 40 and then receive the identificationinformation.

The service control unit 31 receives the identification information fromthe terminal 10, and then performs the validation of the identificationinformation received from the terminal 10 and the identificationinformation received from the beacon device 20. In this case, theservice control unit 31 determines whether the identificationinformation received from the beacon device 20 matches theidentification information received from the terminal 10, and performsthe validation by taking into account the result of the determination.For example, the service control unit 31 checks an authentication keyand time information included in the identification information receivedfrom the beacon device 20. The service control unit 31 decrypts theauthentication key, and extracts matching time information. Similarly,the service control unit 31 checks an authentication key and timeinformation included in the identification information received from theterminal 10. The service control unit 31 decrypts the authenticationkey, and extracts matching time information. Thereafter, the servicecontrol unit 31 compares the two decrypted authentication keys, therebyperforming the validation of the identification information. In thiscase, the service control unit 31 may determine that the identificationinformation is valid only when the two authentication keys are same.

The service control unit 31 extracts service information in response tothe result of the validation when the validation is successful. In thiscase, the service information includes at least one of current locationinformation, coupon information, discount information, and eventinformation related to a corresponding store. Thereafter, the servicecontrol unit 31 transmits the extracted service information to theterminal 10.

Furthermore, the service device 30 configured as described above may beimplemented as one or more servers that operate in a server-basedcomputing-based manner or in a cloud manner. In particular, datarequired to enhance security via a beacon may be provided through acloud computing function that can be permanently stored in a cloudcomputing device on the Internet. In this case, the term “cloudcomputing” refers to technology that serves virtualized InformationTechnology (IT) resources, for example, hardware (a server, a storage, anetwork, etc.), software (a database, security, a web server, etc),service, data, etc., to a digital terminal, such as a desktop, a tabletcomputer, a notebook, a netbook and a smartphone in an on-demand mannerusing internet technology.

Meanwhile, memory mounted on the terminal 10 and the service device 30stores information within these devices. In an implementation, thememory is a medium that is readable by a computer. In an implementation,the memory may be a volatile memory unit. In another implementation, thememory may be a nonvolatile memory unit. In an implementation, a storagedevice is a medium that is readable by a computer. In various differentimplementations, the storage device may include, for example, a harddisk device, an optical disk device, or any other mass storage device.

Although exemplary device configurations are described and illustratedin the present specification and the drawings, various implementationsof technologies described herein may be realized as other types ofdigital electronic circuitry, as computer hardware, firmware or softwareincluding structures disclosed herein and structural equivalentsthereto, or as combinations thereof. Each of the various implementationsof the subject matter described herein may be realized as one or morecomputer program products, i.e., one or more modules related to computerprogram instructions encoded on a computer-readable medium to controlthe operation of a device according to an embodiment of the presentinvention or to be executed by the device. The computer-readable mediummay be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storagesubstrate, a memory device, a material composition affectingmachine-readable radio signals, or a combination thereof.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the flow of data that is used toenhance the security of the beacon device 20 according to an embodimentof the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, in the flow of data that is used to enhance thesecurity of the beacon device 20 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention, the beacon device 20 checks an authentication key andcurrent time information in order to enhance security at step S11.Thereafter, the beacon device 20 generates identification informationusing the authentication key and the current time information at stepS13. Furthermore, the beacon device 20 performs an operation on theauthentication key and the time information and then generates theidentification information at predetermined time intervals. In thiscase, the identification information may be information that isgenerated through the combination of the authentication key and the timeinformation. The authentication key may correspond to key informationthat has been set differently for each beacon device. The timeinformation may be generated at predetermined regular time intervals.For example, the identification information may include a One-TimePassword (OTP). A user authentication method using a one-time passwordof random numbers that are randomly generated is applied to theidentification information. That is, the control module 21 generates aone-time password. The control module 21 may automatically generate adifferent password of a specific number of digits at predetermined timeintervals.

At step S15, the beacon device 20 transmits identification information,generated in response to a request signal received from the terminal 10,to the terminal 10. In this case, the beacon device 20 transmits theidentification information to the terminal 10 via short-range wirelesscommunication. In this case, the beacon device 20 may be equipped with aWi-Fi module and thus communicate with the terminal 10, and maycommunicate with the service device 30 over the communication network40.

After receiving the identification information, the terminal 10transfers the identification information, received from the beacondevice 20, to the service device 30 at step S17.

At step S19, the service device 30 performs the validation of theidentification information received from the terminal 10 and theidentification information received from the beacon device 20. In thiscase, the service device 30 determines whether the identificationinformation received from the beacon device 20 matches theidentification information received from the terminal 10, and performsthe validation by taking into account the result of the determination.For example, the service device 30 checks an authentication key and timeinformation included in the identification information received from thebeacon device 20. The service device 30 decrypts the authentication key,and extracts matching time information. Similarly, the service device 30checks an authentication key and time information included in theidentification information received from the terminal 10. The servicedevice 30 decrypts the authentication key, and extracts matching timeinformation. Thereafter, the service device 30 compares the twodecrypted authentication keys, thereby performing the validation of theidentification information. In this case, the service device 30 maydetermine that the identification information is valid only if the twoauthentication keys match each other.

At step S21, the service device 30 extracts service information inresponse to the result of the validation when the validation issuccessful. In this case, the service information includes at least oneof current location information, coupon information, discountinformation, and event information related to a corresponding store.Thereafter, at step S23, the service device 30 transmits the extractedservice information to the terminal 10.

After receiving the service information, the terminal 10 provides thereceived service information at step S25.

Accordingly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,service can be used only in an application of an authenticated terminalthrough the dynamic assignment of identification information to a beacondevice, thereby preventing the unauthorized use of the beacon device.Furthermore, the checking of the identification information of thebeacon device is performed using a BLE beacon signal, and thus resourcesrequired for the checking of the identification information can bereduced on behalf of the terminal and also logic required for theextraction of information applied to the service can be simplified onbehalf of the service device.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating the beacondevice 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the beacon device 20 according to this embodimentof the present invention checks an authentication key and current timeinformation in order to enhance security at step S31. Thereafter, thebeacon device 20 generates identification information using theauthentication key and the current time information at step S33.

In this case, the beacon device 20 performs an operation on theauthentication key and the time information, thereby generating theidentification information at predetermined time intervals. For example,the identification information may include an OTP. A user authenticationmethod using a one-time password of random numbers that are randomlygenerated is applied to the identification information. That is thecontrol module 21 generates a one-time password. The control module 21may automatically generate a different password of a specific number ofdigits at predetermined time intervals.

At step S35, the beacon device 20 transmits identification information,generated in response to a request signal received from the terminal 10,to the terminal 10. In this case, the beacon device 20 transmits theidentification information to the terminal 10 via short-range wirelesscommunication. In this case, the beacon device 20 may be equipped with aWi-Fi module and then communicate with the terminal 10.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating the terminalaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the terminal 10 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention receives the identification information from thebeacon device 20 at step S41. Thereafter, at step S43, the terminal 10transfers the received identification information to the service device30.

At step S45, the terminal 10 determines whether service informationrelated to the identification information has been received by takinginto account the result of the validation of the identificationinformation received from the service device 30.

After receiving the service information, the terminal 10 provides thereceived service information at step S47. In this case, the serviceinformation includes at least one of current location information,coupon information, discount information, and event information relatedto a corresponding store.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating the servicedevice 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, at step S51, the service device 30 according to anembodiment of the present invention receives identification informationfrom the terminal 10. Furthermore, the service device 30 receivesidentification information from the beacon device 20.

At step S53, the service device 30 performs the validation of theidentification information received from the terminal 10 and theidentification information received from the beacon device 20. In thiscase, the service device 30 determines whether the identificationinformation received from the beacon device 20 matches theidentification information received from the terminal 10, and performsthe validation by taking into account the result of the determination.That is, the service device 30 may check the received identificationinformation, and then may perform the validation based on the times atwhich the identification information have been generated and whetherauthentication keys match each other.

At step S55, the service device 30 extracts service information inresponse to the result of the validation. Thereafter, at step S57, theservice device 30 transmits the extracted service information to theterminal 10.

Various implementations of the technologies described herein may berealized as digital electronic circuitry, computer hardware, firmware,software, or combinations thereof. These various implementations may berealized as computer program products, i.e., information carriers (forexample, machine-readable storage devices or computer programs tangiblyembodied in radio signals), to perform processing through or control theoperation of a data processing apparatus, for example, a programmableprocessor, a computer, or multiple computers. A computer program, suchas each of the above-described computer programs, may be written in anytype of programming language, including a compiled or interpretedlanguage, and may be deployed in any form, including a stand-aloneprogram, a module, a component, a subroutine, or any other unit suitablefor use in a computing environment. The computer program may be deployedto be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site, ormay be distributed across multiple sites and interconnected over acommunication network.

The methodological steps described herein may be performed by one ormore programmable processors that execute a computer program in order toperform functions by operating on-input data and generating output. Themethodological steps may also be performed by special purpose logiccircuitry, for example, a Field Programmable gate Array (FPGA) or anApplication-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), and the devices of theinvention may be implemented as such circuitry.

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, forexample, both general and special purpose microprocessors and any one ormore processors of any type of digital computer. Generally, a processorwill receive instructions and data from a read-only memory, a randomaccess memory, or both. The components of a computer may include atleast one processor for executing instructions and one or more memorydevices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer mayinclude one or more mass storage devices for storing data, for example,magnetic, magneto-optical or optical disks, or may be operativelycoupled to these mass storage devices in order to receive data from,transfer data to or perform both on these mass storage devices.Information carriers suitable for the embodiment of computer programinstructions and data include, by way of example, semiconductor memorydevices, for example: magnetic media, such as hard disks, floppy disksor magnetic tapes; optical media, such as CD-ROM and DVD-ROM;magneto-optical media, such as floptical disks; ROM; RAM; and flashmemory. The processor and the memory may be supplemented with orincorporated into special purpose logic circuitry.

While the present specification contains many details of particularimplementations, these should not be construed as limitations on thescope of the invention or what may be claimed, but, rather, should beconstrued as descriptions of features specific to particular embodimentsof the invention. The particular features that are described herein inthe context of separate embodiments may be also implemented incombination in a single embodiment. Conversely, the various featuresthat are described in the context of a single embodiment may be alsoimplemented in multiple separate embodiments or in any suitablesub-combinations. Moreover, although features may be described asoperating in a certain combination and the certain combination may beclaimed as such, one or more features of the claimed combination may beexcluded from the combination in some cases, and the claimed combinationmay be changed to sub-combinations or variations of sub-combinations.

In the same manner, while operations have been described in a particularorder in the drawings, this should not be construed as requiring thatthe operations should be performed in the described particular order orin a sequential order or that all the described operations should beperformed in order to achieve desirable results. In some cases,multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Furthermore,the separation of various system components in the embodiments describedabove should not be construed as requiring such separation in allembodiments, and it should be appreciated that the described programcomponents and systems may be generally integrated together in a singlesoftware product or packaged into multi-software products.

In accordance with the present disclosure, service can be used only inan application of an authenticated terminal through the dynamicassignment of identification information to a beacon device, therebypreventing the unauthorized use of the beacon device.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the checking of theidentification information of the beacon device is performed using a BLEbeacon signal, and thus resources required for the checking of theidentification information can be reduced on behalf of the terminal andalso logic required for the extraction of information applied to theservice can be simplified on behalf of the service device.

The present disclosure is capable of dynamically changing identificationinformation generated by the beacon device, thereby allowing service tobe used only in an application of an authenticated terminal.Accordingly, service can be used only in an application of anauthenticated terminal through the dynamic assignment of identificationinformation to the beacon device, thereby preventing the unauthorizeduse of the beacon device. Furthermore, the checking of theidentification information of the beacon device is performed using a BLEbeacon signal, and thus resources required for the checking of theidentification information can be reduced on behalf of the terminal andalso logic required for the extraction of information applied to theservice can be simplified on behalf of the service device. Furthermore,since the present invention has sufficient commercial potential or salespotential and can be practically and explicitly implemented, the presentdisclosure has industrial availability.

Although the specific embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention asdisclosed in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A service device, comprising: a servicecommunication unit configured to communicate with at least one terminaland a beacon device, and to transmit and receive data required toenhance security of the beacon device; and a service control unitconfigured to perform control so as to receive pieces of identificationinformation from the terminal and the beacon device, to check thereceived pieces of identification information and then performvalidation based on times at which the pieces of identificationinformation have been generated and whether authentication keys matcheach other, to extract service information in response to a result ofthe validation, and to transmit the extracted service information to theterminal.
 2. The service device of claim 1, further comprising a servicestorage unit configured to store the identification information receivedfrom the beacon device and service information corresponding to theidentification information.
 3. The service device of claim 1, whereinthe service information comprises at least one of current locationinformation, coupon information, discount information, and eventinformation related to a corresponding store.
 4. A beacon device,comprising: a communication module configured to transmit a beaconsignal to at least one terminal via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and tocommunicate with a service device and transmit and receive data requiredto enhance security of a beacon device; and a control module configuredto perform control so as to check an authentication key and current timeinformation to enhance the security, to generate identificationinformation using the authentication key and the current timeinformation, and to transmit the generated identification information tothe terminal in response to a request signal received from the terminal.5. The beacon device of claim 4, wherein the control module is furtherconfigured to perform an operation on the authentication key and thetime information, thereby generating the identification information atpredetermined time intervals.
 6. A computer-readable storage mediumhaving stored therein computer-readable program instructions that, whenexecuted by a computer, cause the computer to execute a method ofenhancing security, the method comprising: receiving identificationinformation from at least one terminal; checking the receivedidentification information, and performing validation based on times atwhich pieces of identification information have been generated andauthentication keys which are included in the identificationinformation; extracting at least one piece of service information inresponse to a result of the validation; and transmitting the extractedservice information to the terminal.
 7. The computer-readable storagemedium of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises: beforereceiving the identification information: receiving, by a servicedevice, identification information from a beacon device; and storing, bythe service device, the received identification information.